Bottle-stopper.



\ E. S. CHURCH.

` BOTTLE STOPPER. rrLmATIoN FILED FBB.4. 1909.

Patented Nov. L1, 1910.

crow, n. c

'UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

EDMUND S. CHURCH, F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE I-IAYNER DISTILLING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Application led February 4, 1909.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 475,961.

` To all whom 'it may concern:

- which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description. a

This invention relates to improvements 1n bottle Stoppers wherein the stopper is made secure against withdrawal from the bottle by` certain locking means to prevent unauthorized access to the contents of the bottle; and it is among the objects of the present invention to provide a simplified form of such locking device and to improve the mechanical construction of such a device for the purpose of making the same more econom ical to manufacture, more adaptable for use and for assembling, and also more durable and less likely to get out of order or to become ineiicient through misuse.

IVith these and incidental objects in View, the invention comprises certain novel combinations, a preferred form of embodiment ofk which is shown in the accompanying drawings forming part of the present specification.

These improvements are shown in particular as applied to the form of bottle stopper described and claimed in the patent to Gilfillan, 581,153, dated April 20, 1897.

Of the said drawings Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view through the neck of the bottle and the stopper; Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the stopper, partly broken away at the top; Fig. 3 represents a plan view of the clock-dial; Fig. 4 represents a perspective of the shell; Fig. 5 represents a horizontal section of the stopper taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 represents Va horizontal section on the line (iw-6 of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 the upper portion or neck of the bottle 10 is shown formed with a horizontal and circular groove 11 on the inside of the bottle. The improved bottle stopper has at its lower end a resilientcork 12 which is adapted to fit the bottle closely just below the groove 11 so as to form a complete closure for the bottle and thereby torprevent the liquid contents from having access to the portion of the stopper situated above the cork. A shell 13 is seated on the upper side of this cork. This shell is shown in perspective in Fig. 4 and the base of it is out or stamped out so as to form three downwardly projecting prongs 14 and three triangular horizontal pieces 15, which latter pieces serve as a seat to restupon theV upper side of the cork 12.

A clamping bolt 16 is screwed through the cork and is formed at its upper end with a bolt-head 17 which rests upon a plate 18 which in turn rests upon the aforesaid triangular pieces 15 of the base of the shell. A nut 19 is screwed on the lower end of said bolt and tightly clamps the shell to the cork. In seating the shell on the cork in this manner, of course it will be understood that the prongs 14 are driven downward into the body of the cork and thereby serve as projecting means between the cork and the shell for preventing relative rotation of the cork and the shell. Thus any twisting of the shell by the operation of attemptino` towithdraw the cork from the bottle wilI not permit the shell to be twisted loose from the cork but both parts will remain properly intact. The upper side of the aforesaid bolt-head 17 is formed with a socket 20 into which there projects and is journaled the lower end of a central stud 21. The aforesaid shell 13 is formed at its upper end with a fiange 22 upon which rests a dial-back 23. Over this dial-back isV a dial-plate 24, shown also in Fig. 3, and bearing numbers like a clock dial. These two plates, the dial-back and the dial itself, are tightly clamped to the flange 22 of the shell by means of a circular dial bezel 25 forming a circular rim around the upper end of the stopper. This rim may be knurled, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to provide a gripping surface for removing the entire stopper from the bottle. Surrounding the aforesaid central operating stud 21 is a sleeve 30 adaptedv to rotate upon said stud. This sleeve may be surrounded by a small collar made fast to said sleeve and formed with a projecting flange 31 for the inner support of the dial-back' 23 and dial 24, and if desired this support may be bent over upon the upper face of the dial, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to hold the dial and dial-back in place, but at the same time permitting the sleeve to rotate while the dial is itself held in stationary position. When the dial and dial-plate are clamped in place by the bezel, as heretofore stated, this shoulder 31 prevents the sleeve 30 from being lifted out of place, and as will later appear' from the construction, this likewise prevents the central operating stud 21 from being lifted out of its socket. Extending 'downward fi'om the underside of the aforesaid dial-back 23, are two hangers 4() (see also F ig. 2) between which there is pivoted a latch 41 which extends downward into the shell and is formed with a latching projection 42 adapted to engage the' aforesaid groove 11 in the bottle, and thereby lock the stopper in place to prevent its unauthor ized withdrawal. Upon the lower end of the aforesaid operating st-ud 21 there is made fast a tumbler disk 50 and at the lower 'end of the operating sleeve 30 is -a similar tumbler dis-k 51. As shown in Fig. 5, each of these disks is formed with a notch, the upper disk 51 with a notch 53, and the lower disk 50 with a no-tch 52. The result of this construction is that when the operating stud 21 and the operating sleeve 3() are so ro tated as to bring their respective notches, 52 and 53, opposite the tumbler hanger or latch 41, the latch is then free to swing inward out of engagement with the locking groove of the bottle and hence the stopper can be Withdrawn. It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the outer extremity of the locking projection or 'dog Ll2 is rounded where it engages th'e locking groove or recess of the bottle, such that when the notches are in proper alin'ement for unlocking, the pulling outward of the stopper will cause the upper wall yof the locking groove to exert a camming action against the locking dog so as to cam it back into unlocking' position in case it did not naturally swing back into snch unlocking position. lVhen, however, either of these disks,` or both of them, be rotated to such extent Tas to move the notch or notches out of aline-ment with th'e latch, then the latch is forced outward Iso as to engage the groove in the bottle and securely lock the stopper in place. 1t will readily be understood from the shape of these notches 52 and 537 as clearly shown i-n Figi. 5, that 'since the sides of the notches 'are inclined or sloping', they have a camming action on the latch 41 so that 'when the tumbler disks are rotated these 'camming sides `of the notches will positively force the latch or locking dog 41 outward into locking position. -It will be understood that this latch 41 projects through a slot 43 formed in the side of the shell so als to permit the projection l12 to come into engagement with the groove in the bottle; but by reason of the fact that the cork 12 forms a tight closure below this point, none of the liquid can escape upward into this groove or thereby gain access to the upper interior mechanism of the stopper. Fixed upon the upper end of 21 is another hand or pointer G1. Thus these two hands indicate the exact position of the tumbler disks below so that if the person authorized to rem-ove the stopper knows the proper combination, he simply sets these hands or pointers to the proper numbers on the dial, thereby knowing that when the proper numbers are thus set, the tumbler disks below will be so positioned as to bring their notches both opposite the latch and thus unlock the stopper.

A knurled knob 62 may for convenience be screwed upon the upper end of the operating stud l21 so as to assist in turning said stud and rotating the indicating pointer G1 to proper position.

The operating sleeve 30 may be positioned by moving its pointer 60 by hand, or it may be positioned by means of certain lugs on the tumbler disks now to be described. Projecting downwardly from the upper' tumbler disk 51 is a lug 71 (seev also `Fig. 5) and projecting upward from the other tumbler disk 50 is a lug 70. Then the `operating stud 21 is rotated, thereby rotating the lower tumbler disk 50, its lug 70 will engage the lug 71 when vrotated to the proper extent, so as thereby to act upon the upper tumbler disk 51 and thus rotate the latter disk and set the indicating pointer of the operating sleeve 30. 1n this manner both hands may be set to proper position by simply operating the knob 62 of the operating stud 21. Likewise if any unauthorized person attempts to set 'the tumbler disk into proper position by trying various positions, these lugs will make such trials more difficult by reason of the fact that the setting of one hand will under certain extents of rotation dest-roy the previouslyset position of the other hand.

1t will be understood from the above description and from the construction set forth, that only an authorized person has .possession lof the proper combination, that is, the proper figures to which the hands on the clock-dial should be set; and therefore the stopper will be firmly locked in place until the proper combination is set up on the dial `to bring the tumbler notches opposite the tumbler hanger or latch and thus permit the stopper to be withdrawn. These particular parts have been so designed as to make the construction simple and ethcient and also easy to assemble, and at the same time to furnish a stopper which will be durable and capable of hard use and will not easily get out of order.

that is claimed is as follows:

1. 1n a bottle stopper of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a shell seated thereon and formed with prongs projecting downwardly into said cork; means for holding the shell seated the aforesaid sleeve 30 is a hand or pointer upon said cork; a central operating stud re- 1615 '60 and xed upon the central operating stud volving in a socket at its lower end within said shell; a dial and a dial-back closing the upper end of said shell and through which the said stud projects; hangers extending downwardly from said dial-back within said shell; a latch pivoted to said hangers and formed with a projection extending through a recess in said Lshell to engage a locking recess in the bottle; and tumbler disk devices positioned by said operating stud to engage said latch and force it into locking position or to permit the same to retreat to unlocking position, substantially as described.

2. In a bottle stopper' of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a shell seated thereon; a clamping bolt passing through said cork and formed with a head engaging the base of said shell, said bolt-head being formed with a socket therein; interprojecting means between said cork and said shell for preventing relative rotation of the cork and shell; a central operating stud journaled at its lower end in said socket in said bolt; a dial and a dialback closing the upper end of said shell and through which the said stud projects; hangers extending downwardly from said dialback within said shell; a latch pivoted to said hangers and formed with a projection extending through a recess in said shell to engage a locking recess in the bott-le; and tumbler disk devices positioned by said oper ating stud to engage said latch and force it into locking position or to permit the same to retreat to unlocking position, substantiallv as described.

3. In a bottle stopper of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a shell seated thereon, a clamping bolt passing through said cork and formed with a head engaging the base of said shell and secured to said cork by a nut at the other end thereof; a central operating stud j ournaled at its lower end in said socket in said bolt; a dial and a dial-back closing the upper end of said shell and through which said stud projects; hangers extending downwardly from said dial -back within said shell; a latch pivoted to said hangers and` formed with a projection extending through a recess in said shell to engage a locking recess in the bottle; a tumbler disk device positioned by said operating stud to engage the latch and torce it into locking position or to permit the same to retreat to unlocking position; and a pointer attached to said operating stud to indicate on the dial the position of said tumbler device, substantially as described.

4. In a bottle stopper of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a shell seated thereon and means for fastening the cork and shell together; a central operating stud journaled at its lower end in a socket in the base of said shell; an end plate closing the other end of said shell and through which said central stud projects; a sleeve surrounding said central stud and rotating thereon7 also projecting through said end plate; a latch pivotally hanging from said end plate and formed with a projection extending through a recess in said shell to engage a locking recess in the bottle; and tumbler disks attached respectively to said operating stud and said sleeve, said disks being formed with notches and coperating with said latch to force the same into locking position or permitting the same to swing into unlocking position.

5. In a bottle stopper of the kind described, Athe combination with a resilient cork, of a shell seatedwthereon and means for fastening the cork and shell together; a central operating stud ournaled at its lower end in a socket rin the base of said shell; an end plate closing the other end of said shell and through which said central stud projects; a sleeve surrounding said central stud and rotating thereon, also projecting through said end plate; a latch pivotally hanging from said end plate and formed with a projection extending through a recess in said shell to engage a locking recess in the bottle; tumbler disks attached respectively to said operating stud and said sleeve, said disks being formed with notches and cooperating with said latch to force the same into locking position or permit the same to swing into unlocking position; and lugs projecting respectively from the tumbler disk of the operating stud and 'the tumbler disk of the said sleeve, said lugs being positioned to engage each other during the rotary movement of said disks whereby the rotation of one disk may rotate the other disk through the medium of said lugs.

6. In a bottle stopper of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a shell seated thereon and formed with prongs projecting downwardly into said cork; a clamping bolt passing through said cork and formed with a head engaging the base of said shell, said bolt-head being formed with a socket therein; a central operating stud journaled at its`lower end in said socket in said bolt; a dial and a dialback closing the upper end of said shell and through which said stud projects; a sleeve surrounding said central stud and rotating thereon, also projecting through said dial and dial-back; hangers extending downwardly from said dial-back within said shell; a latch pivoted to said hangers and formed with a projection extending through pointers attached respectively to said central stud and to said sleeve to indicate on the dial the position of their respective tuinbler devices.

7. In a bottle stopper of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a shell seated thereon shaped to conform to the opening in the neck of the bottle and adapted to contain looking meehanism; prongs extending downward into said cork and at their upper ends connected with the base of said shell to prevent the shell from turning relatively to the cork; a clamping bolt passing` through said cork and formed with a head resting on the base of said shell, said bolt head being formed with a socket therein; a central operating stud journaled at its lower end in said socket in said bolt; a dial closing the upper end ot said shell and through Which said stud projects, a latch projecting through said shell and adapted to engage a locking recess in the bottle; and a tumbler disk controlled by said operating stud and coperating with said latch to torce saine into locking position or permit it to swing into unlocking position.

In testimony whereof I aiiix in v signature in the presence oit two subscribing Witnesses.

EDMUND S. CHURCH.

lVtnesses z TALTER S. KIDDER7 GEO. C. KAEFER. 

